Forgotten Haiti: Two Years After Cholera Outbreak

BBC is reporting: “A top U.S. cholera specialist, Dr. Daniele Lantagne, said after studying new scientific data that it is now ‘most likely’ the source of the outbreak was a camp for recently-arrived UN soldiers from Nepal — a country where cholera is widespread.”

BRIAN CONCANNON, via Nicole Phillips[email],MELINDA MILES [email], [speaks English and Kreyol]Concannon is director of the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti; Miles is with TransAfrica/Let Haiti Live. Their groups are among a host of organizations that just put out a statement: “On the second anniversary of the outbreak of the cholera epidemic in Haiti, human rights groups, faith-based organizations, policy institutes, and humanitarian organizations renew their call for the United Nations and U.S. government to help Haiti install the clean water and sanitation infrastructure necessary to control the ongoing epidemic.

“The cholera epidemic in Haiti has received less U.S. attention during the presidential campaign season, but it remains a critical problem for this Caribbean neighbor that is not being adequately addressed and is undermining broader aid efforts. Last month, 260 new cholera cases were reported daily, and two to three children died per day. Since the epidemic broke out in October 2010, 7,564 Haitians have reportedly died from cholera and some 600,000 persons (6 percent of the Haitian population) have been infected. The number is undoubtedly much higher, as cases in more remote areas are often unreported. …” See full statement.

Click HERE To See the Original ArticleClick HERE To See more Infor­ma­tion about IJDH’s Cholera Accountability Project